Gate opening and closing mechanism.



Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

2 SfiEETS-SHEBT 1.

F. ZOERKLER.

GATE OPENING AND CLOSING MECHANISM.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 1, 1913.

THE Mom"; PETERS ca, PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D. c.

F. ZOERKLER.

GATE OPENING AND CLOSING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1. 1913.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

m i W ateol levers, w thout d1smoui1t1ng, or Ineventlon', the operatingmechanism be ng es 7 claims andillnstrated the accompanying dofor being' likewise efiected." 'aQMy nvention i m ii l I QFFICE- r a FRANK zoiiRKi ER; of Fitness, PEhIliTSY LV ANIA;

and State of Pennsylvania; have invented.

certain new and useful Improvements in Gate Openingand lOlosing Mechanism, of which the following is a specification; v

My invention, which relates generally to the class of farm gates, railway q crossing gates, mine doors and the like, primarilyhas :fbi' *its object to provide a simple, ,ine xpensive and effectively operating means whereby the gates or" doors be conveniently. opened; or closed by the occupant of'a vehicle vor horse, through-the medium of'hand actuchahicalIy operated, by reasonof contactof the" passing vehicle with lever devices that "5 act, to first unlockthe gate or door a'ndthen" swing 'thedoonfthe operation of closing the ther comprehends certain i p e ar n en pa s, ii a t loforactnating meansfo'fthegeneral:charf acter stated, inchijdingii automatically operwardly or inwardly swung positions.

a With further objectsiin Vi w that will be i v lat' if stated, my invention consists in the iar combination andnoy elf ar ange ment of ;the partshereina'fter; filly dessribed, specifically pointed out inthe' appended drawings "in which: 7

pecially adapted for farm gates and for being manually V operate d the gate being at the clb'sefdfposition v Fig. 2 is a similar view the gate being shown at the swung back or open'position, Fig. an a detail viewof a rockable; crank lever, that serves as a substitnte for the hand controlled levers shown in Fig. 1, to thereby adapt'iny gate opening and closing devices for being tanned by the wheel of passing vehicle. Fig. 4 is a detail Qof the .g'ate latclrreleasing devices, hereinafter specificalLye plained; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View, parts being in see tio'n 'of the r'otary'pulley or wheel. 6"

a perspective view of; ra lway gate with opening and closing {mechanism cooper} atively connected tl1erew1th5the sald mecha-j n h l t .v. Figs, ind-2,1 to render it e$peciallyappj11ca vices located at each" sideofth'eF Figs; "1 2;] drawings", 'erence to which it \vill'"benotlcedq nected, by the {screw eyes 8," with the 'p g a modification of that shownin era-TE OIENI'ILNG AND cLo'sIiver MECHANISM.

anapproaching train; the'gate the open position. Figfi? is a perspective View of the mechanism shown in Fig. 6 the gate being at the closed position. Fig; '8 is a detail perspective view [of the sectormeinber that is apart'of oscillates the rotarycpulleyor'wlieel. Fig. 9 is a detail edgewiew of the rotary: pulley orpwheel "hereinafter again r rrrd to; In the practical "application of my the several parts that constitnte the com plete mechanism includeactnating lever dejat a e; sothat after openingthe"gateior door, "the said gatefor door, may be readily closed either manually orjmechanically.

\Vh'en my invention is to be utilized for opening and closing farm gates the [parts are'arra-nged in themalnnerc bes 1 which is hinged 1 130! swing in "the h'd'rir zontal" plane, is'joined to the hiiigeost'2 with which connectsashort section'o ;.fencing 3. p t if gn'a'tes a bracket "that" inclndes the outwardly extended Vshaped upper and lower sections 40%40, he apexfportionsbf which form: bearings the power transmission that or door opening and-closing mechanisms,

gas

for a short salb' Shaft/43, t at aga thrbnghfitlie 1111b 5, iii-what termgarotary wheel 'or' vp ulley 6 "s1nce tg s through the reverse rotations or osgcillations of the said "pnlleythat the gate ls swung on its hingesto theopen and closed positions. y Y H The I my Gflwhifch has a 'd pgmeve, has wand about it, a pair-5f: operating cables 77, they being so woundfand' eon:

that a pull strain effected by lever device's (presently explained) at one side of the gate tends to rotate the pnlley 6 info'ne direction, while a p'nllistr ain on the For operating the cable's 77, either the hand lever devices shown inFigs 1 2 may be nsed, and when'they are to beep;- erated mechanically the crank lever deiv'ices ranged as in the said Figs. 1 and 2, a vera support cables fromthe other side of'th'e gate causes y the pulley to rotate in i a: reverse clirectiq'lil side or the ate and to the said 18a are connected the cables 77, one above and the other below the fulcrum pointi l 1111 are turn buckles for regulating the tension of the cables 7. Cooperatively connectedwith each lever 9 is a third lever 12,"the latter'b eing pivot'ally joined to the lever 9, and it includes;

a hand portion adapted to be closed up against the handle endof the said lever 9, it being normally swung back by the coiled p ng 8-,

-14 'deslgnates a wire cable, one endof n .which connects with the lower end of-the lever 12, and the "other enditoa bell crank lever 15 horizontally mounted in a bracket lo secured to the hingeipost 2, the short arm 15 of which engages .a roller stud 17 mounted in the bifurcated head 18 of a x 11 design 'a pivoted tion by a coiled spring 20.

pull rod 19 slidably mountedin the bracket 16, and-whose outer end terminates in an eye 19?. Rod l9 isheld to its normal posicrank latch on the free end oif'the gate, 22, a flexible rod that joins the latch with, the eye of the rod 19 and 23, designates a turnbuckle on v the rod 22 for taking up slack.

By reason of arranging the latch. devices as showmfwhen' the operator. grasps the handf leverffor opening the gate, he first closes thedever against the lever '9, and therebypulls the. latch up to unlock the gate beforehe moves the'lever 9 to swing the gate} 1 a i :23? designates a vbail, the ends. of which "are "turned inwardly and fastened to a metal-plate 241 securedto one ofthe gate bars; and 2 -Tdesi gnates a.rollerfbe aring that rides within. the said' bail and g which is mounted one short stud shaft, the ends of which are made fast to the pair of horizontally disposedstrap iron bars 25 that I I extend diagonally inward from the rotary pulley 6 to the upper and lower faces of which the said bars 25 are secured.

' 26. desi rnatesa' stout coiled spring, the upper end of which is adjustably secured to a bracket 2.7- on the fence structure. The spring extends diagonally over :the pulley G-and carries at its outer end, a grooved roller -28 that engages a hold-back or cam device on the pulley that consists of a stout ii f rod frame composed of legs 2929 that merge with a horizontal loop-like portion- V 30, the said hold-back and the spring pulled roller that engages it,'being so arranged, relatively to the axis of. the pulley 6, that when the gate is closed it is held to that position and when opened it is likewise held toy that position under spring tension. The member 30 is so. located on the pulley] 6.

and isso formed-that it will aid the final opening and closing movement and alsoserves to retain the gatejin either the open When my swinging railroad. gates or for mechamcally I or closed {position under- 'tension' of the spring 26.

1 31 indicates the stop'post, provided with a buffer; spring SQtotake up the shock when the gate is swung back to its open position, V p

invention is to be utilized for closing farm gates, themodified construction shown in Figs. 6,7 and 8, is. employed, In this latter form, the same general means for swingingthegate shown on Sheet 1 of the drawings, is provided, the'differences,

in the complete construction existing in the M means for transmitting the mechanically applied powertothe pulley 6that swings the-gate. In the said modified form in place ofthe handfoperated: levers 9, is substi tut-ed a jfve rtically disposed grooved wheel SO-provided at one side' with a gear segment 61 that meshes with a toothed quadrant 62 mounted inthe shaft 63 on the outer end of whichisa crank trip 64 disposedadjacent to theztrackto be engaged bythe wheels of the passing engine and which is normally turned to theupright position by the stout coiled spring 69 heldon the said shaft. The

set. jVlThen the modified iorm' just described;

is utilizedgllior it'armmgates, the cross pin 1 65. (see Fig'fd rms v A lever 9,;show1rin 1. [The cableslle 'i .in. this latter-for myfinvention ass over and are securediethe toothed turning wheel 60, so. that as' .th e ls'aid "'v'vheel isre versely rotated the i'rev erse PHIIKQIithQ Cables is efle'c'ted for actuating the opening 1 p and closing pulley. 6.

From the 'iforegomg description -taken connection withthe d'rawings,'the complete construction, the operation ;and the advantages of my invention willlbel readily]. un derstood by'those skilled in the art. to which it appertains. 7

.While for-'Ipractical purposes I prefer't'o arrange the detailsof structure' substantially as shown in thef drawinggi'ldesire, it understood that the saiddetails may be materially' modified orcha-nged to suit the special requirementsjfor my door .-'closing and p'ening mechanism" without departing from the scopeof the appended claims.

What I claim isz V 1. In a gate} openingand closing mechanism, a fixedly held bracket, a rotatable pulley carried on the bracket and provided I a substitute for J the rot with means-for connecting with agate, op-

' eralting cables connected with thepulley for 5 nism,

for imparting reverse motion closed spring and the pulley.

2. In a gate opening and closing mechathe combination of a horizontally disa posed rotatable pulley, a member pivotally connected to the pulley adapted to be slidably connected to the gate, cables that take around and are made fast to the pulley zontal loop'having stop members at the opposite ends fixedly mounted on the rotatable pulley, a spring fixedly secured at one end and having its free end extended over the pulley and provided with a bearing member at the outer end that rides on the loop as the gate moves to the opening or closing direction and engages with the end bearing members of the said loop whereby to hold the gateto its opened and closed position under spring, tension.

3; Ina gate opening and closing mechanism, extended bail adapted to be ed rotatable pulley, brackets, projected from the gate training on which the pulley is mounted, arms secured to the pulley that project diagonally inward toward the gate,

0 the free end of the arms straddling the [bail on the gate and a roller carried betweenxthe free ends of the arms for engaging the bail,

means operable from the roadway" at either Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressiiig the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

side of the gate for rotating the pulley in reverse directions to thereby swing the roller that engages the bail on the gate to open or close the gate, and other meansv controlled by the reverse movements of the position, the said means further including a shiftable connection between the thereto, a hori-' a horizontally niountsion, said other means including a member open positions under spring tenprojected above the pulley, and having a curved portion, a spring anda movable connection between said spring and said curved portion, said curved portion having its ends arrangedeccentric to the axis of the pulley and adapted to cooperate with said spring to assist in the finaljopening and closing movement and also serve to retainthe gate at either the open or closed position.

i. In a gate closing mechanism,a swingable closure member operating mechanism comprising a rotatable pulley, a movable connection between the pulley and the closure member, a longitudinally extended bail on the closure member with which the traveling connection operates, means for reversely rotating the pulley to thereby swing the gate to its open and closed position, means for holding the closure member to either its closed or open position under the said means consisting of a member mounted on the pulley and inJ eluding a horizontal loop disposed tangenspring tension,

tially' with respect to the axis of the pulley,

" a coil spring that extends diagonally over the pulley, one end of which is made fast to the'framing on which theclosure member is hinged, and a grooved roller on the other end of the spring that-engages the loop of the member. a r I FRANK ZOERKLER.

Witnesses:

S. NIEDERRITER, J. H. DEUsLIN En. 

